ARE THEY JUST WORDS OR...?  North Korea is beatin' the drums.  Do the Northerners mean it, or is it just tough talk?  The correct answer to that question is pretty important, don't you think?  From Daily Mail: 

Kim Jong-un has ordered his troops to prepare for an 'immediate and overwhelming' nuclear counterattack against his enemies - as he accused the US of holding aggressive military drills with South Korea.  

He warned that North Korea was ready to launch just hours after commanding his own 'guided' military exercises - which included firing a ballistic missile with a mock nuclear warhead.

Jong-un said the exercises improved the military's actual war capability and highlighted the need to ensure its readiness posture for any imminent nuclear warfare the country may need to unfurl against its enemies.

The North Korean leader was accompanied by his nine-year-old daughter Kim Ju Ae during the missile tests - continuing a trend that has led to speculation the young girl is being lined up to inherit the hereditary hermit kingdom.

State media, KCNA, said on Monday that the missile launch and accompanying military exercises on Saturday and Sunday were aimed at bolstering North Korea's 'war deterrence and nuclear counterattack capability'.

He made specific reference to the 'reckless' and 'aggressive' behaviors of his enemies - in this instance, the US and South Korea.  

In the exercises, a ballistic missile equipped with a mock nuclear warhead flew 500 miles.

'The present situation, in which the enemies are getting ever more pronounced in their moves for aggression against the DPRK, urgently requires the DPRK to bolster up its nuclear war deterrence exponentially,'  KCNA quoted him as saying.

Kim was using the acronym of his country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

'The nuclear force of the DPRK will strongly deter, control and manage the enemy's reckless moves and provocations with its high war readiness, and carry out its important mission without hesitation in case of any unwanted situation,' he added.

COMMENT:  North Korea invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950, starting the Korean War, in which the United States lost 37,000 men.  That was 73 years ago, but we still have troops in Korea to keep the peace. 

I would take the North Korean leader seriously.  If he senses weakness on our part, we could see another 1950.

March 20, 2023